Drain for foundation walls



May 9, 1939. A. HENDRsoN 'DRAIN FOR FOUNDATION WALLS Filed Feb. 15, 1939 10 Zig .FJQUH .N l f :iE/#7b #d1-#PME wxc-f-fg E f- --9 u y I ZZ fm i; HT

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L. l ll i l1 m1 I Tl Fh' I T1' I: L m L 24mm@ INVENTOR Aber Henderson v ou Patented May 9, 1939 72.151.290, mms ron roUNoA'rroN wALLs Albert Henderson, Pittsburgh, Pa.. assignorv to William P. Witherow. Pittsburgh, Pa.

Application February 13, 1989, Serial No. 256,189

(Cl. l2-128) 6 Claims.

This invention relates to a drain for foundati walls and, in particular, to a drain for walls composed of concrete or the like blocks having voids extending therethrough.

Numerous expedients have been proposed heretofore for preventing moisture seeping through the foundation wall of a building from entering the basement or cellar'. All such expedients with which I am familiar, however, are characterized by numerous objections in that they accomplish their object onlymperfectly or materially-increase the cost of construction.

I have invented a novel form of wall drainage system which is highly effective and relatively inexpensive to install. In a preferred form of the invention, I form a drainage channel in the top of a concrete wall footing which is cast in place. and lay up the blocks composing the wall inseveral courses on the footing in such position that any moisture seeping through the outer surface of the blocks will descend along the voids therethrough which are disposed vertically and collect in the channel on the footing. I provide suitable means for draining the moisture collecting in the footing into a sewer or other place of discharge. I also provide means for preventing mortar falldrain passages extending the full height of the wall.

In laying up the wall indicated generally at I4, I lay sheets of tar-paper or the like I! over the blocks of the bottom course to act as a stop for mortar droppings which may fall through the vertical passages formed by the alining voids as the wall'is being laid up. The sheets I5 may be `perforated to permit drainage therethrough,

wardly therethrough. In this case, the mortar ing through, the voids during the erection of the wall from blocking the channel in the footing and thereby rendering it useless.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing to which the following detailed description refers. In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a foundation wall and supporting footing therefor embodying -the invention; ,f

Fig. 2 is a partial sectional view taken substantially along the plane of line II--II of Fig. 1; and c Fig. 3 is a partial sectional view taken substantially alongthe plane of line III-III of Fig. 1.

Referring now in detail to the drawing, a lfooting i preferably composed of concrete cast in place is constructed according to known methods around the excavation in which the foundation is to be erected. A drainage channel l I is formed in the top of the footing and extends continuously therealong. The foundation wall proper is composed of a plurality of blocks I3 laid up in successive courses. The e blocks are preferably cored concrete blocks/ or the like having their voids disposed vertically, the blocks in each course being staggered relative to those in adjacent courses.

In this manner, the voids are located in substantial alinement andthus provide vertical..

above the channel Il.

dropped in the laying of each course is caught on the tar-paper stripherebelow. The weight of such droppings and any water seepage introduces a slight sag in the sheets I! or strips I6 which deflects seepage away from the sides 'of the blocks and toward the center of the vertically disposed voids therethrough. Should the tar-paper sheets and strips disintegrate eventually, the collection of hardened mortar droppings on the footing III within the voids of the bottom course of blocks will not tend seriously to obstruct drainage through the channel Il as would the accumulation of such droppings therein while plastic.

Drain pipes il communicate with the channel Il at various points in the length thereof and are connected to any convenient point of discharge such as a floor drain Il having an outlet Il to the sewer. As shown in the drawing, the drain Il is installed in the basement floor 20 which is 'I'he drain pipes Il will,

` obviously, be embedded in the footing I0 when the latter is poured. The channel li is also formed at this stage by any convenient procedure such as forcing a suitably shaped form into the concrete while it is still plastic. n I

Certain of the blocks in one of the courses adjacent the floor 20 are preferably provided with hand-holes 2l to facilitate the cleaning out of the channel Il in case of need, e. g., by the insertion of a ilushing hose. A cover plate 22 is normally disposed over each of the openings 20 and may be perforated to ventilate the voids in the wall. It will be apparent that the invention disclosed provides a simple. yet efficient, system of drainage for foundation walls having numerous advantages over anything of similar character known 2 f a aisaaoo heretofore. The location ofthe drainage channel Il below the surface of the basement floor insures against collection of drainage water m the latter. The tar-paper sheets' Il prevent blocking of the drainage channel by mortar droplpings, andthe drainage pipes l1 carry away the seepage collected in the channel Ilto the sewer. The connection of the drain pipes to the floor drain Il, furthermore, tends to maintain a waterseal in the latter continuously. y

Although I have illustrated and described but one preferred form of the invention, it will be understood that changes therein may be made within the scope of the appended claims'.

This application is directed to an improvement of the device disclosed in my copending application. Serial No. 204,584, filed Apr. 2'?, 1938, which eventuated into Patent No. 2,147,035 of lieb. 14.- 1939.

I claim:

1. A building construction comprising a footing having a drainage channel formed in the upper surface thereof, a plurality of courses of cored blocks laid on said footing with their voids disposed vertically over said channel and providing continuous drainage passages extending upwardly from the channel through the wall, and

a mortar stop laid over one of said courses to prevent mortar droppings falling through said passages from blocking said channel.

2. A building construction comprising a footing having a drainage channel formed in the upper surface thereof, a plurality of courses of cored blocking seid channel. and e. neer inside sala' wall, the surface of the floor being above said channel in at least the portlons thereof adjacent said wall. l

3. A construction as defined by-claim 1 characterized by a sealing strip disposed in the Joints between said courses through. y

4. A building construction comprising a footing having a drainage channel formed in the upper surface thereof, a plurality of courses of cored blocks laid on said footing with their voids disposed vertically over said channel and providing continuous drainage passages extending upwardly from the channel through the wall, and a floor inside said wall, the surface of the floor being above said channel in at least the portions thereof adjacent said wall.

5. A building construction comprising a footing having a drainage channel formed in the upper surface thereof, a plurality of courses of cored blocks laid on said footing with their voids disposed vertically over said channel and providing continuous drainage passages extending upwardly from the channel through the wall, and means at the joints between adjacent courses for deflecting water seeping therethrough toward the center of said passages.

6. A building construction comprising a footing having a drainage channel formed in the upper surface thereof, a plurality of courses of cored blocks laid on said footing with their voids disposed vertically over said channel and providing continuous drainage passages extending upwardly from the channel through the wall, and openings in the inner sides of certain of said blocks giving access to said passages/from the inner side of said wall. f

ALBERT HENDERSON.

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